Tensinews 21 - sept2011 - vers 31-8 - TensiNet

N EWSLETTER OF THE E UROPEAN BASED N ETWORK FOR THE D ESIGN AND R EALISATION OF T ENSILE S TRUCTURES
Comparison between uniaxial and biaxial test methods
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ETFE FOILS
Anticlastic minimal surfaces as elements in architecture
SOFT.SPACES
REPORT
TENSILE STRUCTURES
MONTEVIDEO 2011
PROJECTS
Stone-age temple
MEMBRANE ROOFS SHELTER
Olympic Stadium
RECONSTRUCTION
NEWSLETTER NR. 21
SEPTEMBER 2011
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INFO
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phone: +32 2 629 28 45,
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2 TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011
PROJECTS
RESEARCH
MISC
contents
PAGE
4 France OPEN-AIR THEATER
1800m² suspended structure
4 Germany TEMPORARY ROOF
STRUCTURE
9 Ukraine OLYMPIC STADIUM
Reconstruction
16 China HOME OF THE FUTURE
A showcase for future living
16 Argentina LA PLATA STADIUM
High-light transmission membranes
17 Germany MEMBRANE ROOF Rhein-Galerie
18 Malta STONE-AGE TEMPLE
Membrane roofs shelter
23 Spain TEXTILE WRAP A sustainable construction
PAGE
6 Mechanical properties of ETFE foils
10 SOFT.SPACES
REPORT
PAGE
19 LITERATURE
8 S(P)EEDKITS
n°21
PAGE
20 Tensile Structures Montevideo 2011
24 INTERNATIONAL "TEXTILE STRUCTURE FOR
NEW BUILDING 2011” COMPETITION FOR STUDENTS AT TECHTEXTIL

E dito
Tensinews observes the current trend of expanding
the use of technical membranes and foils in architectural
projects. The variation in available materials is increasing,
with respect to the appearance as well as the (structural)
behaviour. The field of application is widening; more delicate,
creative and intriguing projects are being built and more
architects explore the possibilities of the technology of tensile
surface structures, e.g. textile sustainable wraps, a large
span stadium cover or a heritage shelter to protect an
archaeological temple. A holistic approach is the way to
go for these designs.
Numerous workshops, symposia - like the 4 th Latin American
Symposium on Tensile Structures in Montevideo - and
conferences act as forums to discuss and disseminate
the state of the art. The next TensiNet Symposium is planned
for 2013. The younger generation is stimulated to hand in
their student-projects at the bi-annual International "Textile
Structure for New Building 2011” Competition at Techtextil.
There is also an increase in research projects to deepen the
current knowledge, like testing and analysing the material
properties of coated fabrics and foils, the study of deployable
S(P)PEEDKITS for disaster relief or the exploration of
anticlastic minimal surfaces as architectural and constructive
components.
A new TensiNet Working Group on Pneumatic Structures is
launched: Matthew Birchall (matthew.birchall@ burohappold.
com) will be the leader of this Working Group.
The TensiNet association is part of the expanding topic of
technical membranes and foils and hopes to further contribute
to this evolution.
Forthcoming Meetings
TensiNet meetings in Barcelona, Spain
Thursday 4/10/2011
16:30 - 17:00 Welcome
17:00 - 18:00 Partner Meeting (2/2011)
18:00 - 19:00 Annual General Meeting
19:00 - 21:00 Working Group Meetings "Specifications" (Marijke Mollaert),
"Analysis & Materials" (Ben Bridgens) and "ETFE" (Rogier Houtman)
Location: Technical University of Catalonia (UPC),
Master Room, Building A3, Campus Nord, Jordi Girona 1-3, Barcelona, Spain
Forthcoming Events International symposium IABSE-IASS 2011 London,
UK 20-23/09/2011 ● International conference on Structural Membranes 2011
Barcelona, Spain 05-07/10/2011 http://congress.cimne.com/membranes2011/frontal/
Dates.asp ● 1st international Textile Archi tecture Seminar Universidad de Castilla-
La Mancha,Toledo, Spain 26-28/10/2011 ● second international conference on flexible
formwork icff 2012 Bath, UK 27 - 29/06/2012 www.icff2012.co.uk
CALL
for Participants for
TensiNet Working Group on
Pneumatic Structures
Pneumatic Structures are increasingly being considered for a variety of
applications in the built environment, from stadium roofs to bridges, and
from permanent structures to deployable enclosures. The design, analysis
and specification of these structures is often treated differently by
different consultants in different countries, with occasional reliance upon
qualitative and empirical experience, or applications from other industries.
TensiNet is launching a working group on Pneumatic Structures to
consolidate the current best practise in this specialist field. It is envisaged
that this working group will focus on analysis techniques, design
processes, applicable standards and technical references, materiality
options, and construction practicalities. Reference will be made to the
existing working groups on ETFE and Analysis & Materials without
duplicating their findings, of course.
The aims, scope and membership of the working group will be discussed
at the start-up meeting to follow after the Annual General Meeting of
TensiNet in Barcelona on 4 th October 2011. Any interested parties who
would like to participate should contact the leader of the working group,
Matthew Birchall, at matthew.birchall@burohappold.com
CEN/TC250 WG5 _
core group meeting
in Paris, France
Wednesday 02/11/2011
10:00 - 16:00
Core Group Meeting
Location:
SFEC, 3rd floor, 65 Rue Prony,
Paris, France
TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011 3

Context
The City of Colmar wanted to
cover the open-air theater of its
Exhibition Park in a lasting and
esthetic way. The challenge was
to cover the existing Eastern and
Western tiers by installing a
textile cover fixed on a metal
framework with particularly short
delays and taking into account the
existing equipment
Context
Built in early 19th century the
“Festung Ehrenbreitstein” is a
landmark in Koblenz, located
opposite of the famous “Deutschen
Eck” between Rhein and Mosel. In
one of the moats of the historical
“Festung Ehrenbreitstein” a main
stage and stands for the
Bundesgartenschau 2011 (BUGA
2011) have been located (Fig. 1).
All kind of concerts will take place
from April until October 2011. The
moat called “Retiriergraben” is
about 24m to 27m wide and 100m
long. The slope of the “Graben”
ends in east direction at the
“Landbastion”, is bordered to the
North by “Kurtine” (both 25m high
ancient walls) and to the South by a
ramp in front of “Contregarde
Rechts”, which is opposite inclined
to the “Retiriergraben”, from 4 to
12m height (Fig. 2). The moat opens
up upwards.
Client and investor was BUGA 2011,
the owner is "Bundesland
Rheinland-Pfalz“.
4 TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011
and the constraints inherent to
the site. For example, the theater
is located very close to the Colmar
airport and part of the
construction stands inside the
area concerned by the planes’
taking-off and landing operations.
The solution chosen by ESMERY
CARON was to install very big
textile cones suspended at 20m
above the theater stands.
KIEFER TEXTILE ARCHITEKTUR
Project
Kiefer. Textile Architektur provided a
range of architectural solutions,
until the client´s and owner´s
requirements, which changed
Structure and installation
The plan dimensions of the two
covering modules are about 55m by
2 X 65m, i.e. 2 textile covers of
900m² and 2.2 tons each. The metal
structure supporting the tension fabric
cover is mainly made of two triple
masts of 3.5 tons each, holding
a 135m long cable placed at an alti-
ESMERY CARON
Open-air
theater
1 Colmar, France
1800M² SUSPENDED STRUCTURE
during the design process, had been
achieved. The final brief was to
create a temporary covering for a
stage of 8 to12m and
approximately 800 spectators in a
tude of about 20m. The textile covers
are completely independent
from the existing open-air theatre
structures by being tensioned on
main cables (56mm in diameter).
The metal frames were treated by
bath galvanization and bolted onsite.
Erection of the elements was
performed using a telescopic crane
Temporary roof structure
Festung Ehrenbreitstein, Germany
Figure 1. Aerial view on the main stage © PP Koblenz
way that no attention is taken away
from the ancient masonry of the
surrounding buildings and the new
construction is not attached to the
old (Fig. 3).
1

installed close to the building site.
The fabric was made in the workshop
and folded in a specific order
allowing a very precise on-site installation
taking into account the
need for working at heights and the
dimensions of the construction. The
fittings and various cables are made
of galvanized steel with a metal
core. Endings are of the rigid fork or
threaded end types.
The obvious solution was to build a
roof
• remarkable higher than the ramp,
to invite looking from the ramp
into the stage;
• horizontally, in order to accentuate
the falling and ascending lines
along the ramp wall;
• with respectful space between
masonry and roof edge;
• light and stringent seemingly,
symmetrical main structure;
• translucent and smooth shaped
elements.
Six portal frames in a grid of 7m,
designed by three girder trusses,
achieve minimum truss diameters.
The horizontal upper girder
cantilevers at both ends, in order to
base aside of existing foundations.
Excavations for the new precast
concrete units had to be limited to
max. 50cm. The vertical trusses vary
from 11 to 15m height. Their lowest
part is the adjusting element. The
stiffing of the structure in
longitudinal direction is induced by
vertical cross bracing of each bay, in
cross direction by portal frames. The
fabric covers six bays of 7x 22m.
Each bay gets an accentuated shape
through two valley belts, which
divide the bay into three elongated
areas. The middle one shows a
classical slightly barrel-shaped form.
It effects a reduction of the visual
2 2 3 3 3
Figure 1. Overview
Figure 2. External and internal view of the
two covering modules
Figure 3. Installation
! Olivier Dufour
: olivier.dufour@esmerycaron.com
: www.esmery-caron.com
presence of the upper girder. To
reduce any imperfections in the
fabric there is no assembling along
the top girder but two welded keder
strips to hinder horizontal
movement. At both end frames the
fabric is clamped by standardized
keder-clamping profile from Tennect
to allow for unpunched linear
fixation. Membrane edges are
framed with belts to underline the
temporary character.
The valley belts are slightly curved
to increase the dynamic appearance
of the single bays. The belts are fixed
to a rotatable supported bail
consisting out of steel tubes. These
bails are used to tension the
membrane. Due to the various angle
at the fixation points of tie down
tension struts a standardized readymade
product from Tennect was
used. The roofing structure was
finally completed one day before
opening ceremony at 15th of April.
The complete design, engineering
and cutting pattern was carried out
from Michael Kiefer, Tobias Lüdeke
and Manfred Schieber at Kiefer.
Textile Architektur.
! Michael Kiefer
Kiefer. Textile Architektur.
Architekten und Ingenieure
: info@k-ta.de
: www.k-ta.de
Project Name: Covering of the open-air theater, Exhibition Park
Location address: Colmar, France
Function of the building: Outdoor facilities
Client: Colmar City
Year of construction: July 2009
Project Manager: Colmar City Architecture Department
Metal framework: ACML
Supplier of the membrane material: FERRARI 1502 T2 1500g/m² - EN ISO 2286-2 standard
Membrane and framework Consultant: ARCORA
Supplier of the membrane: ESMERY CARON
Installation of the membrane: ESMERY CARON and EVEREST (3 weeks for a fitting team of 7)
Covered surface: 1800m²
Figure 2. View from the ramp to the main stage
Figure 3. View main stage © Kiefer.Textile Architektur.
2 3
3
Name of the project: Temporary roof structure
Location address: Festung Ehrenbreitstein, Germany
Client (investor): BUGA 2011 and Rheinland-Pfalz
Function of building: Temporary roof of main stage and stand
Type of application of the membrane: Valleycable Saddleshaped
Year of construction: 2011
Architects: Michael Kiefer, Sebastian Fey Kiefer.Textile Architektur.
Structural engineers: Tobias Lüdeke, Manfred Schieber Kiefer.Textile Architektur.
Consulting engineer for the membrane: Tobias Lüdeke Kiefer.Textile Architektur.
Main contractor & contractor for the membrane: Ceno-Tec
Supplier of the membrane material: Verseidag
Manufacture and installation: Ceno-Tec
Material: Verseidag B1951, PVC/ PES Typ 1
Covered surface (roofed area): ca. 800m²
Membrane assembling system: Tennect (Carl Stahl)
TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011 5
3

RESEARCH
6 TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011

Preliminary definitions
The mechanical behaviour of materials is
described by relationships between stresses
and strains. There exist however different
definitions, the most commonly used being
the engineering stress s and the engineering
strain e. They are actually simplified
formulations and are only valid under
infinitesimal strains as they always refer to the
material initial configuration. If the strains
exceed a few percents then the true stress σ
and true strain ε must be used. They represent
the true material behaviour which is used in
finite element analyses. The true stress
accounts for change in cross-sectional area by
using the instantaneous sample area. The true
strain accounts for an incremental sample
deformation where the new strain depends on
the updated shape. The comparison between
both definitions is illustrated in the part (B1) of
the summary picture for the uniaxial tension
of an ETFE foil. The engineering stress and
strain are accurate enough in the initial linear
part. Above 2% of strain the difference with
the true stress and strain becomes significant.
Test procedures
Mechanical properties of ETFE foils
Comparison between uniaxial and biaxial test methods
ETFE foils have increasingly been used since the 1980's for roofs and claddings [1-4]. Their excellent
light transmission capability combined with their lightness and flexibility has broadened the scope of
large transparent structures. The low weight properties of ETFE foils allow the design of structures
which would have been impossible to build with conventional materials such as glass.
ETFE is a polymer and therefore it exhibits non-linear stress-strain behaviour as well as rate- and
temperature-dependency [5]. Usually its behaviour is derived from uniaxial tensile tests [3-5].
In that case the behaviour is often measured in both machine (extrusion direction) and transverse
direction. There is also an increasing interest for biaxial tests because they allow the observation of
the material response under biaxial stresses as occurring in a tensile structure. In particular bursting
tests have become popular during the last years [6] as they enable very large biaxial deformations.
However, the benefits of biaxial testing over uniaxial testing have not been clearly demonstrated so
far for ETFE foils. Three tests methods are here compared [7]: uniaxial tension, biaxial extension of
cruciform specimen and bursting test. The study is focused on the deter mination of the material
mechanical properties from the experimental data. After an adequate post-processing these data
are compared and the advantages of each test method are discussed.
• Uniaxial tension
Specimen shape: standard dumbbell
Control: traverse displacement
(A1) The tensile load is measured with a load
cell while an optical extensometer measures
the distance between two targets, allowing
the calculation of the engineering stress and
strain. The obtained stress-strain curve shows
the non-linear behaviour of ETFE foils. After an
initial linear part, it exhibit two points where
the stiffness significantly decreases denoted as
two yield points. The material undergoes very
large deformations up to more than 400% at
failure. One can also mention that the
behaviour in the machine and transverse
direction is very similar.
(B1) The tensile true stress and strain can be
calculated from the engineering stress and
strain. The Poisson's ratio ν is required. It is
however not obtained from the uniaxial test,
unless a strain measurement is operated in the
direction orthogonal to the loading. One can
either assume an incompressible material
behaviour (ν=0.5) or use a typical value for
ETFE (ν=0.43 [7]). With this definition of stress
and strain the increase of stiffness in the
second half of the curve is even more
pronounced. It is due to the reorganization in
the polymer structure, where the molecular
chains are reoriented in the loading direction.
As a result the material is no longer isotropic.
• Biaxial extension of cruciform specimens
Specimen shape: cruciform
Control: load on each grip
(A2) The load is measured for each grip with a
load cell and two needle extensometers
measure the strain in the central area of the
sample. It can be seen from the results that
the failure occurs at small strains, which is due
to the particular geometry of the sample. This
early failure of the specimen at about 7% of
strain is the main disadvantage of this method
as it is not representative of the strains that
the foil undergoes under large biaxial stresses.
Biaxial machines however allow the
application of different load ratios on the
sample contrary to the bursting test.
(B2) The biaxial true stress and true strain can
be calculated from the engineering stress and
strain. In that case the Poisson's ratio can be
obtained from the biaxial tests if at least two
load ratios are explored.
• Bursting test
Specimen shape: circular
Control: air pressure during the inflation
(A3) The material behaviour is observed at the
pole where a 1:1 load ratio is obtained. The
biaxial true strains at the pole are directly
measured by a 3D optical system using digital
image correlation. The air pressure is measured
by a pressure sensor. Without post-processing
no data is obtained as there is no mean of
measuring the stress in the material.
(B3) The true stresses at the pole are
calculated based on pressure vessel theory.
The bubble radius is estimated from the
bubble shape measured with the 3D optical
system using a surface fitting. The foil
thickness at the pole is estimated using the
initial thickness and the measured in-plane
strains assuming that the material is
incompressible (constant material volume).
With the bursting test much higher biaxial
strains are reached. In that case failure occurs
at about 75% of engineering strain (true strain
of 0.56). Therefore the bursting test must be
used in order to observe the behaviour of the
material and its failure under large biaxial
stresses.
Comparison
It is not possible to directly compare the
stress-strain curves that have been previously
presented. Each of these curves represents the
relationship between only one stress component
and one strain component. In reality, the
material behaviour is defined by a relationship
between the stress tensor and the strain tensor.
If one assumes a plane stress state without
shear then for an isotropic material it is
described by 3 equations:
ε x = 1 σ x − ν σ y
E E
ε y = − ν σ x + 1 σ y
E E
ε z = − ν (σ x + σ y )
E
RESEARCH
Under biaxial loading the strain in one direction
is not only related to the stress applied in that
direction but also to the stress applied in the
TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011 7

orthogo nal direction due to the Poisson's effect.
As far as multidirectional stresses are concerned,
the Von Mises formulas can be used to combine
the stresses and strains into an equivalent stress
and an equivalent strain. The corresponding
curves are presented in the summary figure (C)
for two uniaxial tests, two biaxial tests and one
bursting test performed at room temperature at
almost identical strain-rates. Results are very
similar up to the second yield stress. Above the
second yield stress the large deformations
occurring in the material change its
microstructure and therefore its mechanical
properties. The material becomes anisotropic and
its behaviour depends on the applied loading.
Conclusion
It has been shown that if an adequate post-processing
is used then similar stress-strain curves
are obtained up to the second yield stress with
uniaxial and biaxial test procedures. Therefore
uniaxial test can be used for measuring the material
initial behaviour as they are very easy to perform
and do not require much material and time.
If the plastic behaviour or the failure of the material
must be investigated then biaxial stresses
must be applied. In that case the bursting test is
the most suitable method as it allows very large
biaxial deformations. This method is however limited
to a single load ratio (1:1 for a circular sample).
In order to apply different load ratios a
biaxial test machine can be used.
! Cédric Galliot
: cedric.galliot@empa.ch
! Rolf Luchsinger
: rolf.luchsinger@empa.ch
Center for Synergetic Structures
: www.empa.ch/css
REFERENCES
[1] K. Moritz. Bauweisen der ETFE-Foliensysteme.
Stahlbau 2007;76(5):336-342.
[2] S. Robinson-Gayle, M. Kolokotroni, A. Cripps, S.
Tanno. ETFE foil cushions in roofs and atria.
Construction and Building Materials 2001;15:323-327.
[3] Y. Xiang, J. Li. Calculation and design of ETFE
membrane structures. In: Proceedings of the IASS
Symposium, Beijing, 2006.
[4] M. Wu, J. Lu. Experimental studies on ETFE cushion
model. In: Proceedings of the IASS Symposium,
Mexico, 2008.
[5] K. Moritz. Time-Temperature-Shift (TTS) of ETFE-foils.
In: Kröplin B, Oñate E, editors. International
Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable
Structures, Structural Membranes 2009. CIMNE:
Barcelona, 2009.
[6] L. Schiemann, S. Hinz, M. Stephani. Tests of ETFE-foils
under biaxial stresses. In: Kröplin B, Oñate E, editors.
International Conference on Textile Com posites and
Inflatable Structures, Structural Membranes 2009.
CIMNE: Barcelona, 2009.
[7] C. Galliot, R.H. Luchsinger. Uniaxial and biaxial
mechanical properties of ETFE foils. Polymer Testing
2011;30(4):356-365.
8 TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011
RESEARCH
S(P)EEDKITS
Rapid deployable kits as
seeds for self-recovery
The project ‘S(P)EEDKITS’ , which will start in 2012, will research rapid
deployable kits as seeds for self-recovery in disaster affected sites. A multidisciplinary
team, consisting of different organizations throughout Europe, will develop a new
emergency system of modular rapid deployable shelters, facilities and medical care.
The kits must be transportable, modular and adaptable, must have a low cost and
must be high-tech in their conception but low-tech in use (Fig. 1 gives an example of a
feasible kit. However the implementation of the kit, in the context of disaster relief
shelters, still needs to be investigated). Current kits will be scanned with regard to
large transportation volumes and/or heavy weight. Out of this knowledge, new
concepts will be developed to drastically reduce the transportation volume and weight.
The goal of these kits will be to provide temporary infrastructure, to establish the
necessary temporary services and to limit the damage to economic and social fabrics.
The kits should provide infrastructure for different purposes, e.g. a hospital,
a communication centre, water facilities or sanitation units. Also four different basic
shelter kits will be designed and analyzed:
- A lightweight safe house unit: this shelter gives coverage for the very first
hours and need to be deployed by the communities
- A collective unit: a shelter which is usable for diverse purposes
- A family house unit: this shelter will be used in the transitional period and
later, it can be referred to as the first version of a real house
- A robust warehouse unit: a somewhat larger shelter for the humani-ta rian
organizations, it can be used for storage, offices, medical centers, etc.
The need for these kits becomes evident when thinking about the many disasters,
both nature- and man-made, that occur worldwide. As a result, countless people are
rendered homeless without any medical care, sufficient and clean water, decent
sanitation or energy supply. In case of such an emergency situation, humanitarian
organizations (like the Red Cross, Red Crescent Movement and Médecins Sans
Frontières) emergency response units to rebuild these affected sites. These units are
sent out immediately after a disaster strikes. Each unit has his own field of expertise
and consists of trained people and the necessary equipment (the ‘kit’) needed on site.
The S(P)EEDKITS project wants to develop novel ‘kits’ that can be pre-positioned and
mobilized more quickly and easily than existing ones.
The S(P)EEDKITS project will be a collaboration between : Centexbel (BE),
Shelter Research Unit (LU), Netherlands Red Cross (NL), Sioen Industries (BE),
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE), Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (NL),
Politecnico di Milano (IT), De Mobiele Fabriek (NL), Waste (NL), Practica (NL),
D’Appolonia (IT), Internationales Biogas und Bioenergie Kompetenzzentrum (DE),
Millson BV (NL), MSF Nederland (NL) and Norwegian Refugee Council (NO).
! Jan Roekens - Vrije Universiteit Brussel
: jan.roekens@vub.ac.be
! Guy Buyle - Centexbel
: guy.buyle@centexbel.be
Figure 1: First
steps in the
design of a
possible disaster
relief shelter kit

Introduction
Over the last decades Hightex has
been dedicated to the construction
of innovative fabric roofs for
sporting venues. One of the stadium
projects for the EURO 2012 in the
Ukraine and Poland is the Olympic
Stadium in Kiev, which is currently
undergoing a comprehensive
revitalization. The design for the
reconstruction of the stadium
respects the historical building with
its significant filigree prestress
concrete upper tier tribunes from
1968, by arranging the
superstructure of the new roof
system detached and with a
distance to the existing seating
bowl. The most prominent part of
the “Kiev Central Stadium” will be
enclosed with a new delicate glazing
façade and, like an exhibit in a glass
cabinet, will be put in perspective
with lighting. This is how the
architect von Gerkan, Mark and
Partner (gmp) describe their design.
With its fabric roofing system
shaped by filigree flying struts into
an ocean of conicals covered with
light domes the Olympic Stadium
should receive a unique and
distinctive identity as an urban
landmark within the texture of the
city centre of Kiev. The main
structural system of the roof derives
from the spoke wheel principal. It
consists of two outer compression
rings, steel plate box girders, which
rest on the 80 kinked columns, also
made of tapered steel box girders.
80 cable trusses of upper and lower
radial cables, coupled with hanger
cables build up a light cable net,
which are anchored into these
compression rings and meet at the
centre in a tension ring. The tension
ring encases approximately the
playing pitch. The horizontal forces
are balanced out between the outer
compression rings and the inner
tension ring. The vertical forces are
HIGHTEX GMBH
RECONSTRUCTION
Olympic Stadium
Kiev, Ukraine
transferred from the cable net into
the 80 columns and into the
foundations. 80 axes are very
uncommon for stadium roof
constructions. Similar projects
usually make do with about half the
number of axes.
One of the reasons for this design
was the original material choice of
the main membrane. First concepts
envisioned the use of a single layer
of ETFE foil. It has much lower
structural capacity than typical
coated fabrics, which are usually
used for stadium roofs. While the
fabrication and installation of the
steel columns was already under
way, the material choice of the
highly transparent foil was
dismissed over the course of the
planning. The 80 columns still
dominate the overall impression of
the architecture of the stadium and
will impress a unique character
onto the stadium. The roof cover,
the translucent membrane field
elements, will now be made of
PTFE coated Glass fabric. Eight
flying struts in each bay impress a
series of conical shapes into the
main membrane. These flying struts
flare up like a funnel and the main
membrane is connected to the top
rings of the flying struts. The round
openings between 2.5m to 3.2m
diameter are covered with light
domes spanned with ETFE foil. This
generates a unique translucent
roofing landscape with in total 640
light spots. For this project Hightex
is responsible for the cable
structure and membrane roof.
Cable structure (Fig. 1 to Fig. 5)
The ten ring cables are 115mm
diameter also fully locked galvan
cables and have a total length of
about 469m each. They are bundle
into two layers of 5 cables each and
Installation of the cable structure
Figure 1. Connection of upper radial cable and
ring cable
Figure 2. Layout of ring cable
connected to the so called ring
cable connectors. These are 2.5t
castings, which have two vertically
arranged cleats, connect the upper
and lower radial cables to the ring
cables. The upper and lower radial
cable, also fully locked galvan
cables are interconnected with
8 hanger cables each build up the
80 cable trusses. The cables are
fabricated with fork terminals at
each end. One end connects to the
ring cable connector and the other
end connects to cleats at the upper
and lower compression rings.
1 3 5
2
Figure 3. Lifting of spreader bar
Figure 4. Cable net roof construction
Figure 5. Pinning of fork terminal
TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011 9
4

For the installation the radial
cables and ring cables are laid out
in the stadium bowl. The open ends
of the radial cables are fitted with
temporary spreader bars to take on
the lifting equipment. The upper
radial cables are pulled towards the
upper compression ring with strand
jacks and pinned. This process will
lift the cable net completely off
the ground. Then the last 1.5m of
the lower radial cables are pulled
with the threaded bars and hollow
hydraulic cylinders towards the
lower compression ring until all
cables can be pinned. This process
is called the “big lift” and takes
about 30 days.
Membrane structure
(Fig. 6 to Fig. 11)
For the next installation step the
membrane roof panels are fitted
onto the completely stressed cable
net. Each of the 80 bays consists of
about 600m² PTFE/Glass mem -
brane panels with an approximate
weight of one tone. The membrane
Installation of the membrane
Figure 6. Beginning of membrane installation
Figure 7. Roof view from below
Figure 8. High point installation
10 TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011
fields will be cut from the virgin roll
material, welded and assembled
ready-to-install off site in the
factory. They get packed, shipped to
site and directly lifted onto the roof.
The membranes are unfurled from
the rolling rack on the lower
compression ring. The membrane is
then connected at the circular cut
outs to the already positioned but
lowered flying struts. The final
shape and prestress is brought into
the membrane by lifting the flying
struts into their final position.
This process is assisted by hydraulic
jacks at the footing of the flying
struts. The roof structure is
completed after all the 640 light
domes are mounted.
! Gregor Grunwald
: gregor.grunwald@
hightexworld.com
! Markus Seethaler
markus.seethaler@
hightexworld.com
: www.hightexworld.com
© Pictures: Hightex GmbH
Name of the project: Olympic Stadium Kiev
Location address: City of Kiev, Ukraine
Client (investor): Olympic National Sports Complex, Ukraine
Function of building: sport stadium
Year of construction: 2010-11
Architects: gmp • Architekten von Gerkan, Marg und Partner,
Personal Creative Architectural Bureau Y. Serjogin
Structural engineers: SBP – Schlaich Bergermann und Partner
Manufacture and installation of cable net and membrane: Hightex GmbH
Supplier of the membrane material: Verseidag-Indutex GmbH
Material: PTFE-Glass
Covered surface (roofed area): approx. 45.000m²
6 7
8
10
Figure 9. Roof top view
Figure 10. Different stages of high point
installation
Figure 11. Installation of the high point
clamping profile
9
11
Anticlastic minimal
surfaces as elements
in architecture
Introduction
On the basis of the research of Frei Otto
and his team at IL (University of Stuttgart)
and the resulting exceptional pioneer
constructions, building with textiles as an
alternative to traditional materials like wood,
stone, steel, glass, and concrete was
rediscovered during the last decades.
Deriving from self organizing forms of Minimal
Surfaces, prestressed, spatially curved
Membrane Structures were up to today
mainly used for wide span, lightweightstructures.
For this reason membrane
structures tend to be seen from a
structural or material point of view only.
In contrast to our right-angled, conventionally
built environment the desire for fluent
“soft” spaces in architecture cannot be
overseen any more. The possibility to create
light and fluent spaces as a symbiosis of
form and structure offers new qualities
and chances in the architectural design
of residential or office buildings for example.
Subject
This article presents the overview of the
research on spatially curved Minimal Surfaces
that considers the infinite possibilities of
membrane forms as elements in architecture
in combination with common buildingtechnologies
and shows new capabilities in
designing and creating spaces. Seen as an
element in the design of architecture these
anticlastic, fluent forms caused by structural
conditions, follow the rules of formfinding in
its initially (by Frei Otto) defined sense.
Very often we misuse the term „formfinding“.
What Architects mostly mean and do is a man
controlled process of shaping - a process that
happens on a consciously controllable and
formal level. In contrast to the mancontrolled
process of shaping, forms that are
arising from self organizing processes can only
be influenced by the design of their
boundaries. The form itself can only be found
and represents the result which cannot be
manipulated. The architect finds himself in the
unusual position of a creative “formfinder”
instead of the “shaper”.
The fluent forms of Minimal-Surfaces are
fascinating by their variety, structural
performance, reduction to the minimal in
terms of material use and resources and their
special fashion-resistant aesthetics.

RESEARCH
SOFT.SPACES
Together these parameters represent the
common basis of a potential design or design
concept and characterize its grade of
sustainability.
Objectives
Since self organizing processes follow precise
rules and contain optimization by their
nature descriptions and especially in
architecture illustrations of these rules can be
used as design tools [1] . To find out about the
chances for an architecture between „hard“
and „soft“ morphology, basic research on the
systematic determination of very different
boundaries - the interface between
membranes and common construction
technologies - enables the opportunity to
analyze anticlastic Minimal Surfaces
regarding form and curvature. Vice versa we
get an idea of the correlation between 3dcurvature,
deflection and determined
boundary and further on an idea of formal
and structural behavior. In this context the
assessment and visualization of the Gaussian
curvature, which were adapted especially to
this research, played an important role.
Special Specifications
1 Minimal surface
All experiments are restricted to forms that
can be derived from the results of soapfilm
models – the Minimal Surface. As long as
boundary conditions are not changed,
Minimal Surfaces can be arranged as a unity
arbitrarily in space without changing its
form/geometry.
2 Interface
Linear, maximal 2dimmensionally curved,
bending resistant, line supported boundaries
Figure 1. Physical study model -
showing catenoids between
shifted circular rings
Figure 2. Sequence of Soapfilm
Models
turned out to be the ideal interface between
membranes and common construction
technologies. All further experiments were
restricted to boundaries of that kind.
3 Membranes as an integrative
element
Membranes are seen as an integrative
component of architecture and are directly
connected to other elements of common
construction methods. In terms of structural
effectiveness the surfaces themselves are
considered to be highly efficient by their
spatial curvature but not to be load bearing
elements for other structural members
although newest approaches in the author`s
research are dealing with this possibility.
Investigations
The range of exploration covers wall-like
elements, T-shaped connections, solutions
for vertical, horizontal and free corners and
the tubular entities of the Catenoid.
Methods
Besides physical (Fig. 1) and soapfilm models
(Fig. 2) mainly digital experiments (Fig. 3)
were used for the interpretation and the
verification of results. Soapfilm models were
mainly considered to fulfill a control
function. Digital models were essential for
the analysis and evaluation of forms (section
curves, their diagrammatic overview, analysis
of angles in space,…) of Minimal Surfaces. In
this context the assessment and visualization
of the Gaussian curvature (Fig. 4), which were
adapted especially to this research, made it
possible to compare and to draw one`s
conclusions on different forms and their
structural behavior.
Figure 3. Digital model of a
catenoid between circular rings
and Visualization of Gaussian
Curvature
Figure 4. Special unification of
assessment and visualization of
the Gaussian curvature for this
research
Results of
investigation
The results of physical, soapfilm and mainly
digital experiments show surprising and
partly new correlations between form and
boundary proportions and so far unknown
rules of the self organizing processes of
Minimal Surfaces – especially in the field of
the Catenoid. The overview and the
comparison of the results as well as the
possibility of a targeted selection can
therefore be the basis for creative
applications.
1 Minimal surfaces between
straight lines and boundaries
consisting of segments of a circle
All experiments related to this series (Fig. 5)
show, that for this boundary condition it is
not possible to find a fully anticlastic curved
Minimal Surface. Those surfaces which show
few flat areas are generated within a
relatively small spectrum of boundary
conditions. They concentrate on boundary
conditions consisting of semicircles with a
diameter that corresponds to the distance of
the boundaries. Independent of the
amplitude of the curved boundary Minimal
Surfaces tend to be flat in the near of the
straight line boundary.
Experiments show that in average up to 96%
of the horizontal deflection that was given by
the curved boundary is disappearing halfway
between the upper and lower boundary.
Horizontally shifted boundaries (Fig. 6) can
be interesting from the architectural point of
view. But in terms of anticlastic Gaussian
Curvature this always means a further
increase of flat areas.
1 2 3 4 5
6
Figure 5. Minimal Surfaces
between straight lines and
boundaries consisting of
segments of a circle
Figure 6. Horizontally shifted
boundaries
TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011 11

RESEARCH
2 Minimal surfaces between
boundaries consisting of
segments of a circle
In this case the boundaries of wall like Minimal
Surfaces can have the same direction or they
can be arranged inversely. Horizontally shifted
boundaries represent special cases and show
interesting architectural effects. The horizontal
offset can be in longitudinal, cross or diagonal
direction.
Minimal Surfaces between boundaries
consisting of segments of a circle
in the same direction
Boundaries that are curved in the same
direction (Fig. 7) generally effect strong
anticlastic curvature of Minimal Surfaces.
Boundary conditions consisting of semicircles
with a diameter that equals the distance of the
boundaries can be qualified as 100% spatially
curved. Section lines show the smallest circle
of curvature exactly on half height and
harmonic development of the surfaces (Fig. 8).
Minimal Surfaces between boundaries
consisting of inversely arranged segments
of a circle
Curved and inversely arranged boundary
conditions effect anticlastic curvature covering
most of the surface, even if the boundaries have
little oscillation from the longitudinal axis. The
mostly curved surface can be developed with
boundaries consis ting of semicircles with a
diameter of 2/3 of the distance of the
boundaries (Fig. 9). Areas with little spatial
curvature can first of all be found exactly at the
maxima of boundary curvature and on half
height. Starting from the ideal case these flat
areas increase with increasing as well as with
decreasing diameters of the base-circles.
Surfaces arising from boundary conditions with
base-circles bigger than the height show
12 TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011
Figure 7. Boundary configurations consisting of
segments of circles having the “same direction”
Figure 8. Vertical section of digital models and
their circles of curvature, all having their center
at half height.
Figure 9. EM KK 2/3 _ 1,00HK ggs
Figure 10. EM KK 2/1 _ 0,50HK ggs
Figure 11. EM KK 1/2 _ 1,00HK ggs
Figure 12. Horizontal Corner
Figure 13. Vertical Corner
Figure 14. Free Corner 7 8
9 10
11
flattened vertical stripes (Fig. 10) whereas
flattened horizontal stripes (Fig. 11) appear with
boundaries consisting of segments of circles
with less than the height.
3 Membranes corners
Regarding corner solutions, boundaries can be
arranged horizontally (Fig. 12) or vertically (Fig.
13). The free corner (Fig. 14) describes a special
case. The vertical and free membrane corner
will not be described in this article..
Horizontal membrane Corner
All executed experiments with horizontal rightangled
corners show almost constant surface
curvature (Fig. 15) and deflection in the area of
12 13 14
15 16 17
18 19
the corner (Fig. 16). This happens
independently form the leg length and from
being arranged symmetrically or asym metri -
cally. The section lines of digital models are
congruent (Fig. 17). Leg length being shorter
than the height cause surfaces with little
anticlastic curvature. Surfaces of maximum
spatial curvature in all areas can be achieved
with a ratio 1/1 to 3/2 of leg length/height.
Increased leg length causes areas with little
anticlastic curvature at the end of the legs.
4 T-connection
Surfaces meeting in a T-connected boundary
(Fig. 18) generate a Y-intersection (Fig. 19).
Figure 15.
Horizontal corner with
ratio of 1 1 1
(leg/leg/height)
Figure 16.
Horizontal corner with
ratio of 111 Gaussian
Curvature
Figure 17.
Horizontal section lines
„Horizontal Membrane
Corner“ – in comparison
Figure 18.
Geometry of right angled
T-connection
Figure 19.
Minimal Surface generated
from a right angled
T-connection

Figure 20. Displacement of vertical section lines from right
angled T-connection with symmetric wing length and
different element length [EL]
Figure 21. T-connection with square boundary geometry
FL = EL/2
Figure 22. Linear increase of displacement at increasing
element length up to EL/2=FL, then nonlinear
Figure 23. T-connections different from 90°
Figure 24. T-connection with an angle of 60°
Figure 25. Vertical section lines T30°, T45°, T60°, T75°
Figure 26. Spatially curved intersection line for T60°
This happens independently from the angle
of the boundary connection. The 3 different
parts of the Minimal Surface meet with 120°
and form an arch-like intersection. This arch
is less curved at its angular point and more
curved the closer it is to the T-connection of
the boundary. „In very special cases only, a
circular intersection can be formed .” [2]
These special cases were used to form
pressure resistant arches for real structures.
Right-angled T-connection
In terms of right-angled configurations the
leg length of H (0) has no influence on the
form of the generated Minimal Surface as
long as it is longer than the deflection of the
Y-intersection. This happens to be the same,
independently from the wings being
arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically.
> Symmetric wing lenght [FL]: For symmetric
wing length [FL] one can determine that the
magnitude of the Y-intersection is directly
connected to the ratio of wing length and
element length. For all boundary conditions
with FL ≥ EL/2 the magnitude of the
Y-intersection equals 20,6% of the element
length. For wing length shorter than the
element length, a nonlinear behavior of the
Y-intersection can be determined. So the
boundary condition FL=EL/2 represents the
borderline between linear and nonlinear
development of displacement in the
direction of H (Fig. 20). A square geometry in
plan causes evenly distributed curvature in
the surface (Fig. 21).
The curved Y-intersection is similar to a
basket arch (Fig. 22). Starting from a square
geometry in plan increased wing length
results in the generation of insufficiently
curved areas at the ends of the wings. On the
other hand there are no effects on the form,
radii of curvature of the Minimal Surface and
the transitional zone with anticlastic
curvature to insufficiently curved areas does
not move. The enlargement of the element
length which corresponds propor tionally to a
reduction of the wing length causes
insufficiently curved areas which are merged
together in the element middle. Strong
anticlastic curvature is limited to the areas of
the T-connection of the boundary.
> Asymmetric wing lenght [FL]: Spatially
curved Y-intersections and spatially
curvature of all partial areas are generated by
asymmetric wing length. The horizontal
component of the deflection always occurs
in direction of the larger wing.
Non-right-angled T-connections
When using T-connected boundaries with
angles different from 90° the surface of H
(Fig. 23), which is totally flat for the 90° case,
will be spatially curved too. Increasing
deviation of 90° goes along with increasing
anticlastic curvature of surface H (Fig. 24).
The formally interesting Minimal Surfaces
which develop as a result of a T-connection
with a not at right angles deviating surface H
show spatially curved intersection lines. The
more the angle differs from 90° the more the
anticlastic curvature of H increases. At the
same time the vertical deflection of the
former horizontal parts decreases.
RESEARCH
21 22
23
25 26
5 Catenoid
The shape of the catenoid is basically
generated by a catenary that rotates around
a longitudinal axis. It is the only rotational
body that can be minimal surface at the
same time. As we know from SFB230 the
maximum attainable height of a catenoid
spanning two circular rings is approximately
1,3 times the radius of a ring. [3]
For conceptual designs in architecture,
boundaries different from two identical
circles but with different diameters, not
being arranged in one axis and/or not being
symmetrically arranged are needed. So the
maximum attainable heights of catenoids
with different boundary geometries and
arrangements were examined. New rules
could be found for major boundary
configurations [4] . The resulting diagrams can
be scaled at will.
Catanoids between circular rings
of different diameters
Starting from the extreme of 1,3 times the
radius of a ring the maximum height of a
20
24
TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011 13

RESEARCH
catenoid is decreasing if one of the rings
diameter is decreasing (Fig. 27).
Fig. 27 also illustrates that upper rings
smaller than 1/5 (upper ring /lower ring)
effect very little maximum attainable
height and surfaces with little Gaussian
Curvature at the same time. Several
experiments showed that all the
attainable maxima in dependence from
the given diameters are located on a
common circle - the extreme value circle.
This circle again is in direct proportion to
the circular base ring (Fig. 28).
The developed diagram allows a
determination of the maximal attainable
height when the diameters of the two
rings are given. The other way round
the maximal diameter of the upper ring
can be found by predefining the desired
height and the diameter of the base ring
(Fig. 29).
Case-Study A (Fig. 30)
A catenoid is perforating several floors
and creates a courtyard situation.
Its position is chosen the way that the
ground floor gets a spatial incision whilst the
other floors are still connected by a catwalk
between catenoid and facade.
14 TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011
28
32
35
Case-Study G (Fig. 31)
The form of the catenoid is intersected with
a rectangular building. In this case the
catenoid was tilted in the direction from
(left) and towards (right) the building. For
this reason the opening in the façade opens
on top and narrows to the sky inside the
courtyard (left) and vice versa (right).
Catenoids between shifted circular
rings
A displacement of the boundary rings
effects lower maximum heights of
catenoids
(Fig. 32).
This correlation also follows precise rules.
The interrelation of displacement of
boundary rings and maximal attainable
height of the catenoid can be found on
circular movements defined by the center
of the base ring and the diameter of the
rings (Fig. 33).
At the same time we can observe that a
displacement of more than ¾ of the
diameter of the rings effects areas with
little Gaussian Curvature. Strongly curved
areas can always be found at half height of
the catenoid. A displacement of 1 diameter
27
29
33
36
of the boundary rings cannot be attained
with a catenoid but forms two separated
surfaces within the rings.
Case-Study K (Fig. 34)
A horizontal displacement of one of the
boundaries of the catenoid enables a spatial
movement. For the fact that the base rings of
displaced catenoids have equal diameter
they can act like swivel plates. This way
vertical connections or orientation to natural
light can be solved.
Catenoids between square rings
of the same side lenght
Compared to catenoids generated by two
circular rings, catenoids between two equal
square rings (Fig. 35) are having their
maximum height at 1,44times of the side
length of the square (Fig. 36). In analogy to
catenoids between circular rings the maximal
attainable height or the smallest possible
upper square can be found on a common
extreme value circle too.
Catenoids between a square and
a circular ring
Catenoids between a square and a circular
ring don`t follow an extreme value circle but
30
31
34
37
38

a catenarylike line starting from the center of
the square and going through the quadrant
of the upper circular boundary.
The maximal attainable height equals
1,39times the radius of the inscribed
circle of the square respectively half of
its side length. This is valid for configurations
where the circle is the incircle at the
most.
Congruent cut-outs from
Minimal Surfaces of Catenoids
All executed investigations have shown
that each randomly selected cut-out
from a Minimal Surface of a catenoid
will be a Minimal Surface with equal
position in space and equal curvature of
the surface itself. This can be explained
by the absolute identical stresses in all
directions of Minimal Surfaces.
The example in Fig. 37 is showing a
randomly selected closed curve that
is projected on the surface of a catenoid.
For this reason this curve is exactly
matching the surface of the initial
catenoid. By defining this curve as a
new boundary line the new surface
within this boundary is also matching
the surface of the initial catenoid.
40
39
Figure 27. Change of form and change of Gaussian
Curvature of a Catenoid with decreasing
diameter of upper ring and therefore decreasing
height
Figure 28. 3dimensional diagram for catenoids
between circular rings of different diameters
Figure 29. Soapfilm model and diagram for
catenoids between circular rings of different
diameters
Figure 30. Case-Study A
Figure 31. Case-Study G
Figure 32. 3d view of overlayed catenoids between
shifted circular rings showing the circular
movement of the upper ring and the
dependence of horizontal displacement of the
rings and the loss of height.
Case-Study M2 (Fig. 38)
The intersection of several catenoids is
possible without changing of form of the
different parts. This way 3dimensionally
curved ridges are developed by the inter sec -
tion line.The definition of the new boundary
can be found as described before, but it can
also be found by intersecting different
independent catenoids or by intersection
with other forms. As shown in case-study M2
(Fig. 38) catenoids even don`t need to have
the same position in space or the same size.
This way a lot of possibilities are open for a
potential design in architecture.
Conclusion on research,
case-studies and
experimental structures
The characteristics that Minimal Surfaces
can be proportional scaled and that a
predefined cut-out of minimal surface
keeps unchanged multiplies the
possibilities for the design. Using the found
rules case studies give an idea of the
infinite possibilities that are open to create
very special „soft spaces”, with new
architectural qualities like shown in above
case studies and experimental structures
(Fig. 39 to Fig.41) and furthermore.
Figure 33. Side view of overlayed catenoids between
shif ted circular rings showing the circular move -
ment of the upper ring and the dependence of
ho ri zontal displacement of the rings and the loss
of heigh
Figure 34. Case-study K
Figure 35. 3dimensional diagram for catenoids
between square rings of the same side length
Figure 36. Diagram for catenoids between square
rings of the same side length
Figure 37. Congruent cut-outs from Minimal
Surfaces of Catenoids
Figure 38. Case Study M2
Figure 39. “Cube of Clouds” experimental
structure in model and in scale 1/1 by
koge, Institute of Structure and Design,
Perspective
Latest approaches are dealing with alter na -
tive boundary-conditions and with software
implementation in terms of scripting found
rules [5] (Fig. 42). The aspect of geometrical
regularity a visual irregu larity of anticlastic
Minimal Surfaces is subject of an actual re -
sear ch project. An investigation on the
cor re lation of self organizing forms, their
close relation to nature and their aesthetic
values also seems to be interesting questions
for the future.
! Günther H. FILZ
: guenther.filz@uibk.ac.at
© www.koge.at
RESEARCH
REFERENCES
[1] Filz, Günther, “DAS WEICHE HAUS soft.spaces”,
Dissertation, Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck,
Fakultät für Architektur, Juli 2010
[2] Otto, Frei, IL 18, Seifenblasen, Karl Krämer Verlag,
Stuttgart 1988
[3] Mitteilungen des SFB230, Heft7, Sonderforschungsbereich
230, “Natürliche Konstruktionen – Leichtbau in Architektur
und Natur“, Universität Stuttgart, Universität Tübingen,
Sprint Druck GmbH, Stuttgart 199
[4] Filz, Günther, “minimal is maximal _ soft.spaces”, accep ted
for Paper Proceedings, IABSE-IASS Symposium London 2011
“Taller, Longer, Lighter”, London, 20-23 September 2011
[5] Filz, Günther ; Maleczek, Rupert; “From Basic Research to
Scripting in Architecture”, Workshop at “2nd International
Conference on Architecture and Structure” and “3rd
National Conference on Spatial Structures“, Centre of
Excellence in Architectural Technology of the University of
Tehran, Iran, 15-18 June 2011.
41 42
head E. Schaur, University of Innsbruck,
exhibited and published at Premierentage 2005,
Best of 2005 and Ziviltechnikertagung 2005
Figure 40. “Cut.enoid.tower” - experimental
structure with a height of about 13m in scale 1/1.
The distorted appearance is generated by the
interaction of pin-joint columns, which work on
compression only and different versions of
prestressed catenoids.
Figure 41. “minimal T”– structure shows the
possibility to deflect surfaces that were flat
before being assembled by using special
geometries in arrangement
Figure 42. Grasshopper script “Catenoids between
horizontally shifted circular rings”
TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011 15

Context
LAVA’s Home of the Future is a
showcase for future living, with
nature, technology and man in a
new harmony. The Home of the
Future will start construction in late
2011 on the rooftop of a new
furniture mall in Beijing, China (Fig.1).
Project
An ETFE geodesic skydome provides
a year-round microclimate that
opens up the home to a garden filled
with sun, light and fresh air, away
from the pollution and noise of the
city (Fig. 2). Visitors will experience
fifteen different living spaces, from
internal/external bathroom zones to
kitchens flowing to veggie patches
and barbeques to sunken bedrooms
with dream inducing lighting. At
night the home and the tropical
garden turn into an otherworldly
experience, with the underlying
technology, the electronic veins of
the system, coming to life.The
design is inspired by nature’s
efficiencies – corals, cells and
bubbles - and creates an environ -
ment where technologies are
invisibly integrated to satisfy every -
day needs and senses. Its fluid design
16 TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011
Figure 1. Visualization Future Living day and night.
® Doug and Wolf
and organisational strategy based on
cells is easily modified to suit specific
requirements. The Home of the
Future integrates the latest improve -
ments in comfort and instantaneous
information technology with a space
that embraces nature.
Figure 2. Section trough the ETFE geodesic skydome. ® Doug and Wolf
La Plata Stadium
Argentina
Chris Bosse, Director of LAVA says:
'The Home of the Future acts as a
metaphor for the questions of our
times, our relationship with nature,
with technology and with ourselves'.
LAVA’s Home of the Future is a
showcase for future living - it
balances man’s needs with nature
and technology in perfect harmony.
Team LAVA: Chris Bosse, Tobias
Wallisser, Alexander Rieck
Landscape: Aecom
Engineering support: Arup
ETFE: Vector Foiltec
! Jane Silversmith
: jane_silversmith@mac.com
: www.l-a-v-a.net
A COMPLETED ROOF MADE OF 30.000M² HIGH-LIGHT TRANSMISSION MEMBRANES
SAINT-GOBAIN BIRDAIR
Context
More than 10 years ago, over 30.000m² of ULTRALUX® I Architectural
Membrane was manufactured to top a new stadium in La Plata, Argentina.
For various reasons, the stadium was built but the roof was never installed
until last year . The roof features a unique style, a double cable dome which
provides a figure eight shape, was added to complete this beautiful stadium.
Today, the stadium is completed and looks amazing (Fig. 1).
Membrane
For the membrane the high translucency architectural membrane ULTRALUX
was chosen. ULTRALUX is made of fiberglass and polytetrafluoroethylene
(PTFE) and provides about 25% light transmission as opposed to standard
products which provide 10 to 16% light transmission. ULTRALUX is
manufactured by Saint-Gobain in the Merrimack, NH plant.
Cable structure
Birdair engineered, fabricated and oversaw the installation of the cable
structure and fabric roof. Birdair’s steel cable systems was used. To
accommodate the unconventional geometry of the stadium, the main roof
structure was formed using tensioned steel cable hoops at three different
levels, along with vertical columns, diagonal cables, and ridge cables. This
prestressed tensegrity design features a figure-eight-shaped central opening
that resists global distortion using tension. Consequently, the roof deck is
extremely stiff, similar to the way a drum skin is stiffened by tensioning.
LABORATORY FOR VISIONARY ARCHITECTURE LAVA
Home of the Future
A SHOWCASE FOR FUTURE LIVING
Beijing, China
Figure 1. Aerial view of the completed roof
Figure 2. Installation of the cable structure © Birdair
Figure 3. Inside view of the completed roof © Birdair
! Roland Keil
: roland.keil@saint-gobain.com
Saint-Gobain performance Plastics
: www.chemfab.com - www.sheerfill.com - www.birdair.com
Name of the project: La Plata Stadium
Function of building: sport and cultural events
Year of construction: 2011
Architects: Roberto Ferreira
Engineer: Weidlinger and Associates, New York, New York
General contractor: Astillero Rio Santiago, Rio Santiago, Ensenada, Argentina
Supplier of the membrane material: Saint-Gobain
Material: ULTRALUX® I Architectural Membrane
Covered surface (roofed area): 30.000m²

Introduction
The Rhein-Galerie, located directly
on the bank of the river Rhine in
Ludwigshafen, provides an
attractive place to shop and have
fun. Around 130 specialist retailers
provide a modern variety of
products and services over
30.000m² of sales space spread out
over two floors. The adjacent
Rheinpromenade directly connects
the Rhein-Galerie with the Rhine.
Imposing roof architecture
Particularly memorable is the
membrane roof designed to create
an architectural link between the
river and the rhythmic oscillations
of the building’s lateral arches. The
translucent roof covers the entire
shopping centre and lends the
architecture a distinctive character.
High-quality materials
for optimum interior conditions
The decision was taken to use PTFE
(Teflon®) coated glass fabric. This
material’s long life is not its only
impressive trait. The Teflon®
surface coating also makes it easy
to clean, because ordinary dirt and
dust is simply washed away by rain.
The high level of sunlight reflected
off the surface as a result of the
white colour ensures that the area
under the membrane roof is heated
less, but also ensures that a high
level of light from outside can
penetrate the roof, as was desired.
CENO-TEC
Membrane roof
Rhein-Galerie in Ludwigshafen, Germany
Elegant structure
with unique details
The supporting structure of this
extraordinary building is an elegant,
three-dimensional, curved
structure supported by a welded
steel tube girder framework
consisting of column supports upon
which arches and frames were built.
There are a total of 68 discrete
surfaces, which are cladded with
mechanically pre-stressed
membrane sheets. The roof surface
is left open above the interlocking
elliptical courtyards of the interior
in order to ensure optimum lighting
from outside.
The membrane sheets were fixed
into place using steel fixture strips
for each sheet, following the curved
form of the steel structure. The
membranes were joined using
aluminium sections that were
produced specially for this project,
and these were also pre-cast.
The joints between the sections
were sealed by mounting them on
modified extruded neoprene strip
seals. The aluminium sections allow
each of the membrane sheets to be
subjected to linear pre-stressing
and fixed in place in a straight line
without having screws penetrate
the surface of the membranes.
Produced precisely to order
One of the core tasks was to
produce the 68 membrane sheets
with sizes of between 70 and
380m² in the Greven factory in a
way that enabled them to be fitted
directly at the shopping centre
without any further modifications.
This advance production process
used the 3D model provided by the
steelworker as the basis, together
with jointly agreed production
tolerances. In order to ensure that
the membranes were sufficiently
pre-stressed, thereby providing
them with sufficient long-term
stability against snow and wind, the
tensile properties of the coated
fabric were determined using biaxial
testing. This process enabled each of
the sheets to be produced precisely
in advance while the construction of
the steel structure was ongoing.
Name of the project Membrane roof for the Rhein-Galerie in Ludwigshafen
Location address Ludwigshafen, Germany
Client Rhein-Galerie GmbH & Co.KG, Hamburg
Year of construction 2010
Architect ECE Projektmanagement GmbH & Co.KG
General contractor Ed. Züblin AG
Manufacturer
membrane roof Ceno Tec GmbH Textile Constructions
Material Glass PTFE
Covered area 24.400m² – 60 facade fields and 68 roof fields
Planning the fitting process –
down to the last detail
The panels were fitted by a team
of experienced industrial climbers.
Because the coated glass sheets
were so susceptible to kinking,
a refined and precise plan for fitting
them had to be developed.
Firstly, the sheets were spread
out on a pre-mounted support
net and protected from exposure
to the wind. They then had the
special aluminium sections
attached to all sides.
The linear pre-stressing of around
4KN/m had to be applied in steps
to ensure that the material was
not damaged. It was only at the
end that the aluminium section
could be attached to the
supporting steelwork with the
sealant strips and corresponding
screw joints.
The three-dimensional nature of
the structure and the necessity of
doubling over and reinforcing the
edges meant that around
33.000m² of material were
processed in order to cover around
24.000m² of surface area. The
fitting took a total of eight months.
! Bosse Anne
: Anne.Bosse@ceno-tec.de
: www.ceno-tec.de
© Illustrations/photos
ECE Projektmanagement
GmbH & Co.KG
TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011 17

FORM TL MEMBRANE ROOFS SHELTER
Stone-age temple
Malta
18 TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011
Context
To protect the approx. 5.000 years
old temple complexes Hagar Qim
and Mnajdra on the island of Malta
against erosion, two membrane
structures have been developed,
which now cover and protect the
archeological excavation.
For thousands of years the stony
cult sites have been overwhelmed
before in 1839 their unearthing was
started. Hagar Qim and Mnajdra are
situated at the South coast of Malta
at only 500m distance. Built
between 3.600 and 2.500 B.C.,
the sites made of lime stone blocks
became UNESCO-world heritage
sites in 1992. Since their excavation
the rough environmental conditions
have affected the temples Hagar
Qim and Mnajdra strongly. The soft
lime stone impended an
accelerated dilapidation by salty
rain and high variations in
temperature. In the year 2000 a
group of scientists suggested to
build a conservation and
interpretation protection according
to UNESCO regulations over the
cult sites. This is weather protection
on the one side and the
encouragement of attentive visitor's
behaviour on the other side to
protect the fragile temple sites from
further dilapidation.
International UNESCO
competition
The design of these roofs has been
part of an international UNESCO
competition which was won by the
Swiss architect Walter Hunziker in
2003. Supported by the engineering
office KTA the original steep
membrane roofs with one arch
became flat roofs with two inclined
arches. formTL was contracted with
the final design and the structural
design as well as the pattern design
by the North-Italian general
contractor and membrane
manufacturer Canobbio SpA.
Project
Three important preconditions had
to be taken into account: the roofs
needed to be deconstructable
without visible effects after the
restoration of the sites in 25 or 30
years and their design had to follow
the astronomical alignment of the
temples. At certain times of the
year the roofs should not impede
the insolation at certain dates like
the summer and winter solstice.
And they should offer the
maximum weather protection.
The geometry was only partly given
due to the individual topography,
but could be solved similar in
design: The developed structures
consist of two center positioned,
slightly inclined steel arches.
Between the arches and to the side
frames a cable net with membrane

panels is spanned. The biaxial cable
nets allow to realize the arches
without any additional stabilization
cables.
During the design process the roof
shapes have been adapted to the
situation on site. Step by step the
structures have been adjusted with
the gradually generated
dimensional geometrical survey of
the temples and their surroundings
until the roofs fulfill all demands
perfectly.
Even the bearing points had to be
changed several times because
before approval they had to be
checked archeologically first.
Now the visitor experiences a
cathedral like effect. If he steps
under one of the big roofs he tones
down his voice automatically and
he is behaving more respectful than
before. Where it was common to sit
on the temple ruins or to scratch at
them, the visitor becomes a
wondering observer.
The effect of the roof is very
protective because the climate
close to the temples had changed.
The very absorbent and soft lime
stone stays permanently dry now,
because the salty rain brings nearly
no humidity to the stones.
The PTFE coated glass fabric filters
the sun light and reduces its intensity
to 10 to 15%. So the lime stone
walls are protected from the ultraviolet
radiation, but can be looked
at with natural light conditions.
It is also important that the textile
covering reduces the amplitudes
of the stone temperature of
20°-70°-20°C considerably. Now
the temperature value oscillates
only in the range of the air temperature.
Fibrous and composite materials
for civil engineering applications
Author: R. Fangueiro, University of Minho, Portugal
Language: English
Size: 400 pages 234 x 156mm (hardback)
Editor: Woodhead Publishing Limited (2011)
ISBN 1 84569 558 5
ISBN-13: 978 1 84569 558 3
Content:
PART 1 Types of fibrous textiles and structures;
PART 2 Fibrous materials as a concrete reinforcement material;
PART 3 Fibrous materials based composites for civil engineering
applications.
Erection
Another big challenge was the
protection of the excavation site
during the construction period and
the restrictions involved.
To protect the temples during the
construction period they are neither
allowed to be trespassed nor
touched.
The use of big machines and a
scaffolding was therefore not
possible. The complete cable and
membrane structure had to be
assembled piece by piece by
professional climbers - and the roof
panels were closed one after the
other.
! Gerd Schmid
: gerd.schmid@form-tl.de
: www.form-TL.de
© Marco Ansaloni
Name of the project: Membrane roofs shelter stone-age temple, Malta
Client: Heritage Malta, Malta
Architect: Walter Hunziker Architekten AG, Bern
Preliminary structural design, tender documents: Kiefer.Textile Architektur.
Final structural design, membrane design, workshop drawings: formTL GmbH
General contractor: Canobbio Spa.
Steel: Mecoop
Cables: Teci
Assembly: Montageservice SL
Covered surface 1.495m² Hagar Qim/ 2.460m² Mnajdra
Span central arch 54m Hagar Qim/ 68m Mnajdra
Material Membrane: Hagar Qim: PTFE-coated glass fabric SHEERFILL®II-HT
Mnajdra: PTFE-coated glass fabric SHEERFILL®I-HT
LITERATURE
Textiles, polymers and composites for buildings
Author: G. Pohl, Leichtbau Institut, Germany
Language: English
Size: 524 pages 234 x 156mm (hardback)
Editor: Woodhead Publishing Limited (2010)
ISBN 1 84569 397 3
ISBN-13: 978 1 84569 397 8
Content:
PART 1 Main types of textiles and polymers used in building and
construction;
PART 2 Applications of textiles and polymers in construction.
TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011 19

REPORT
20 TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011
4 th Latin American Symposium Uruguay
Tensile Structures Montevideo 2011
The “4 th Latin American Symposium of Tensile Structures” was held in
Montevideo in April 2011. It was organized by the Faculty of Architecture
of the University of the Republic, Uruguay, and chaired by the architect R.
Santomauro. It was the fourth in a series of symposiums that began in São
Paulo in 2002, followed by Caracas in 2005 and Mexico D.F. in 2008.
Main Lectures
Following the welcome address by the Dean of
the Faculty and the introduction to the Symposium
by R. Santomauro, N. Goldsmith presented
“Skin. Biomembranes in buildings”.
After discussing natural skins, he went on to
talk about building skins as holistic solutions in
which the body and skin perform together, integrating
structure and environmental design
concepts. He used a series of case studies on
the work of FTL Design Engineering Studio (Future
Tents LTD) to discuss several applications
related to structure, form, acoustics, shading,
lighting surface, energy generation, insulation
and water collection that transform the notion
of building facades into a porous multifunctional
membrane reflecting the natural world.
Special emphasis was placed on two textile
roofs: the Sun Valley Pavilion (Fig. 1) for its
dialogue between fabric and stone, and the
Skysong at ASU Campus, Scottsdale, AZ (Fig. 2)
for its dynamic rotational symmetry.
G. Schmid reminded the audience of the advantages
of “ETFE” compared with glass in terms of
1
cost and maintenance based on transparency,
spectral transmission, lightweight, stiffness,
vapour barrier behaviour and thermal coefficients.
He also referred to the particularities of
cutting patterning, production and assembly
and emphasized the printing, colouring, lighting
and self-cleaning capabilities together with
recent applications in many fields that allow
forward-looking architects to design their
self-marketing envelopes (Fig. 3).
The most frequently mentioned realization,
with two main lectures and two presentations,
was "La Plata Stadium" in Argentina (G. Castro,
R. Ferreira, F. García Zúñiga, H. Larrotonda,
M. Levy and T. Birdair), a derivative of the
tensegrity Georgia Dome. Several speakers
outlined the construction engineering, planning
and procedures for the roof assembly, detailing
the cable net lifting, jacking system and
membrane installation (Fig. 4).
In “Ejemplos en y desde Uruguay. Metodología
de trabajo”, P. Pinto and R. Santomauro presented
the Uruguayan state of the art with a
wealth of examples and a detailed description
of the entire process, from a simple primary
Over three days, 11 lectures and 31 presentations were given to
278 participants from 19 countries and three continents.
The main topics focused on recent projects, as well as new applications,
basic concepts, features, materials, design, software, testing,
installation and education.
2
5 6 7
idea to the exact definition of the project, including
all of the structural elements and their
details, the membrane, its patterns and its installation
on site (Fig. 5).
In “Lightweight structures and membranes for
stadiums”, K. Stockhunsen from SBP insisted on
the design and installation of roofs for largespan
applications. Worldwide developments in
recent decades culminate in the designs of the
sports venues for the World Cup 2010 in South
Africa and the future icons of the Brazilian
World Cup in 2014. Other impressive realizations
were presented from the Berlin Olympic
Stadium 2010 to the Warsaw National Stadium
2012 and Rio de Janeiro Maracana Stadium
2014 (Fig. 6).
C. Bauer from Mehler Tex•nologies began his
presentation “Tensile architecture. Principles of
feasibility, sustainability and reliability in the
practice” with the Vitruvius principles (durability,
utility and beauty) and summarized a
chronological development and possible future
evolutions. He described several aspects of
tensile architecture as advantageous and
3

Figure 1. Sun Valley Pavilion, Idaho, USA
Figure 2. Skysong, ASU Campus, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Figure 3. Unilever façade , Germany
Figure 4. La Plata Stadium, Argentina
Figure 5. Plaza Synergia, Zonamérica, Montevideo, Uruguay
Figure 6. National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland
Figure 7. Harbin Sports Stadium, China
Figure 8. London Olympic Stadium lighting tower, UK
Figure 9. Archetto. Espositore di vendita all’aperto, Napoli, Italy
Figure 10. Landfilling, incinerating or recycling?
Figure 11. Estadio Municipal Lucio Fernandez Fariña, Quillota, Chile
mentioned large spans, light conditions,
economy (of time, energy and materials), efficiency,
eye-catching forms, versatility, fire performance,
uniqueness and cost (Fig. 7). A
special reference was made to sustainability,
recycling systems and the need to rely on the
right consultancy, specialist industry and practical
support. The Mehler TensileDraw available
at www.mehler-texnologies.com was recommended.
F. McCormick (Buro Happold) displayed in
some detail the installation of the environmentally
friendly 22.000m 2 roof for the 80.000
seat "2012 London Olympic Stadium". To provide
more potential for world records, complex
CFD was used to analyse the wind regime on
the track and field, which revealed that a roof
covering will attenuate wind speeds. In addition,
the 28m high lighting towers were lifted
on top of the inner ring in order to avoid disturbing
photographers. These are new requirements
for contemporary stadiums that have to
be added to the FIFA demands for visibility of
the advertising strip around the field and may
invalidate most contemporary designs (Fig. 8).
4
8 9
A. Capasso presented “Membrane architecture:
from research to teaching and realizations
40 years between the sails”, based on the research,
teaching activities and realizations of
light structures that the author has carried out
at the University of Naples’ Faculty of Architecture.
Highlights of his career include the sails of
the Triennale di Milano in 1973; Le tensostrutture
a membrana per l’architettura, the first
handbook on membrane structures in Europe in
1993; the international conference "Architettura
e leggerezza"; and the Laboratorio di Tecnologie
leggere per l’ambiente costruito at the University
of Naples, established in 2000. His current work
involves university theses and research into developing
various functional and environmental
possibilities for textile technology (Fig. 9).
J. Llorens lectured on “Detailing tensile structures”,
which form a substantial part of the design
process and influence the final result, but
do not yet form a well-known and well-documented
discipline. He presented a design
methodology for detailing tensile structures
based on the principles governing their behaviour
and a prior recognition of the requirements
to be met, taking into account the characteristics
of the project to which they belong. A
typology was also illustrated by specific examples
placed in context that are available at
http://sites.upc.es/~www-ca1/cat/recerca/tensilestruc/portada.html.
S. Delano and T. Dreyfus (Ferrari) in “Sustainable
development strategy in textile composites”
went into the material properties that are
specially suited for permanent installations,
such as lightness, translucency and longevity.
They furnished data on weight/m 2 , residual
tensile strength (80% to 100%), exposition to
severe climatic conditions, energy savings by
protecting façades (more than 60% under the
Latin American climate!), cost of recycling
(~450 €/T) and life cycle analysis (Fig. 10).
In “Tensoestructuras. Diseños peruanos para el
mundo”, A. Pérez and G.Carella presented a
wide variety of textile roofs designed or built by
Cidelsa, a Peruvian company that specializes
10
REPORT
in architectural design and engineering, membrane
transformation, high-frequency welding,
manufacturing of steel structures and accessories,
and assembly. The collection of projects
included shopping centres, stadiums, museums,
convention centres, beer gardens, squares,
sports halls and stations (Fig. 11).
Current research
G. Filz from the Institute for Structure and Design
(University of Innsbruck) presented in
“Soft Spaces” his current research on anticlastic
minimal surfaces that considers the infinite
possibilities of membrane forms as new elements
in architecture in combination with
common building technologies that deliver new
capabilities in designing and creating space.
“Climatic Criteria for the Design of Tensile-
Structures in Regions of the Humid Tropics” by
J.F. Flor dealt with the passive adaptation to the
climatic conditions of the humid tropic to obtain
architectonic spaces that reach the maximum
hydrothermal comfort of users with the
minimum resources.
In “Adaptable Structures”, R. Franco explored
more than 20 mobile systems, aiming to apply
the features of these systems to build and develop
an adaptable architecture that satisfies
the needs of the contemporary world.
P. von Krüger (Universidade Federal de Minas
Gerais) returned to the application of the
tensegrity principles to latticed domes with associated
membranes as an active cover that
stretches the structure.
C. Morales (Universidad Veracruzana) based his
“Design of Structural Flexible Systems in the
Architectural Space” on the understanding of
organic forms to construct a design methodology
aimed at flexibility.
L. Moreira (Universidade Federal de Minas
Gerais), explored in “Form Finding of Tensile
Structures Made of Bamboo” the integration of
physical and mathematical models.
Numerical methods were also present in “New
Strategies in Form Finding for Tensile Structures”
by F. Pantano (Uni Systems) and “The
Natural Force Density Method for the Shape
Finding of Membrane Structures” by R.M.
Pauletti (Universidade de São Paulo).
TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011 21
11

REPORT
Testing Methods
In “Structural behaviour of textile roofs under
different climatic conditions”, C. Hernández
(Instituto de Desarrollo Experimental de la
Construcción) showed the design of a testing
apparatus and procedure for measuring the influence
of humidity, temperature and wind on
the pretension of hypars.
J.Blessman (Laboratório de Aerodinâmica das
Construções, Rio Grande do Sul) was in charge
of the last presentation of the Symposium,
which dealt with wind tunnel testing techniques.
Other presentations
Several Latin American countries were represented
and the latest realizations in Argentina
(W. Runza and P.C. Valenzuela), Brazil (P.A.
Barroso), Chile (O. Sotomayor) and México
(J.G. Oliva, M. Ontiveros, V.H. Roldán and E.
Valdez) were shown.
J. Monjo, representing H.Bögner-Balz for
TensiNet, summarised the aims, objectives
and activities of the Association, which was
particularly relevant because the Latin American
Network meeting was held afterwards.
Education
Several proposals and experiences for education
were presented by leading professors
from Latin American institutions.
• J.G. Oliva Salinas: “Curso de Arquitectura
Textil”, 17 to 21 October 2011 plus 2
months online, Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México. His experience was
discussed by P. Villanueva in the presentation
“Contemporary teaching of tension
structures”, in which the online form finding
of membrane structures “Membranes 24” is
used (http://www.membranes24.com)
• J. Monjo: “Curso de Arquitectura Textil”
2011/2012 (15 + 30 + 60 ECTS), Universidad
Politécnica de Madrid. He discussed his experience
in the presentation “Teaching Tensile
Structures”.
22 TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011
12 13 14
• Robert Wehdorn: “Membrane Lightweight
Structures”, Master Engineering Program
(90 ECTS), Vienna University of Technology
(http://mls.tuwien.ac.at).
• Unfortunately, Robert Off didn’t attend the
Symposium to present his “Archineer and
Master of Engineering in Membrane Structures”,
Anhalt University of Applied
Sciences, Dessau
(http://www.membranestructures.de).
Software demonstrations (Fig. 12)
In sessions parallel to the lectures and presentations,
demonstrations of specific software
for designing tensile surface structures were
led by: Gerry d’Anza “ixForten 4000”
(www.forten32.com);
Dieter Ströbel “technet GmbH”
(www.technet-gmbh.com) and
Robert Wehdorn “Formfinder”
(www.formfinder.at)
Exhibitors (Fig. 13)
The exhibition of products in the main
hall of the Faculty included Cidelsa
(www.cidelsa.com),
Ferrari (www.ferrari-architecture.com),
ixForTen 4000 (www.forten32.com),
Formfinder (www.formfinder.at),
Makmax Birdair Taiyo Kogyo
(www.makmax.com),
Mehler (www.mehler-texnologies.com),
Naizil SpA (www.naizil.com),
Sobresaliente (www.sobresaliente.com),
Synthesis–Gale Pacific (www.synthesisfabrics.com),
Verseidag (www.verseidag.de)
and Wagg (www.wakk.com.ar).
Student competition
The competition for design projects that make
use of textile, cable or tensegrity structures,
which was open to architecture and engineering
students, received 10 proposals. The jury,
composed of J. Monjo, N. Goldsmith and G.
D’Anza, awarded R. Vivar and J. Tataje for
“Tensowrap: signals – protection – security”
(Fig. 14).
Other activities
T. Birdair offered the Welcome Cocktail, during
which music was provided by a sax quartet.
The “criolla” Symposium dinner was the opportunity
to enjoy a Uruguayan meal. The city
of Montevideo was also worth visiting, particularly
the double-curved thin-walled shell in
single-thickness reinforced bricks by Eladio Dieste
(Fig. 15).
Figure 15. Eladio Dieste Chapel
Latin American Network
of Tensile Structures
The 4th Symposium was also the occasion to
meet the Latin American Network of Tensile
Structures. It assembled 60 participants with
an interest in regional activities and envisaged
the collaboration or association with
TensiNet. They decided to hold the next Latin
American Symposiums in Santiago de Chile in
2012 and in São Paulo in 2014.
Conclusion
The Symposium ended with a panel discussion
on tensile structures in Latin American
countries, during which we learnt that
Latin American countries are not only fully
involved in the development of tensile
structures, but that they will also be very
active in the coming years and constitute a
key scenario for the future.
! Josep I. de Llorens
: ignasi.llorens@upc.edu
: www.tens-mvd2011.org
Figure 12. Software demonstration
Figure 13. Symposium exhibition
Figure 14. Tensowrap”
Winner of the student competition

BAT SPAIN - ECOSISTEMA URBANO
TEXTILE WRAP
A SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
Ecopolis Plaza,
Madrid, Spain
Context
Transformation of a faceless site in Madrid’s urban sprawl,
surrounded by industry and heavy traffic transportation
infrastructures, into a public space for social interaction providing a
building for childcare (Fig. 1).
Project
The project “Plaza Ecopolis” aims to incorporate the idea of sustainability
into daily life. The main focus is therefore to create a vision of urban
sustainability that facilitates the reduction of energy consumption by
matters of design but that also aims at raising people’s awareness of their
own consumption behaviour. The layout of the building generates a public
space that can be used by the area’s residents, and it is considered as an
“open environmental classroom”.
Technologies implemented at Ecopolis project are helping the initial bioclimatic
design approach based on minimizing the consumption of both energy
and natural resources. The Ecopolis Plaza project has the highest eco-label (A
grade) of Spanish law. A complete energy simulation study developed by the
Thermodynamics Research Group at the Industrial Engineering School of
Seville, helps to understand the behaviour of the building and also to adjust
the available construction budget. An important area of the building halfburied
(50% of the building takes advantage of the land’s thermal inertia)
and a large glass facade facing south (700m²) are basic decisions that shape
the physical relationship between the building and its environment. A bioclimatic
textile layer superimposed over a light steel structure is wraping the rational
concrete core of the building. This textile (partially movable, connected
with sensors to sun position) is the interface between interior and exterior
spaces, blurring the boundaries between private and public and extending
the inner comfort to the public space (Fig. 2).
Name of the project: Ecopolis Plaza
Location address: Rivas Vaciamadrid, Madrid
Client: Rivas Council
Function of building: Educational
Type of application of the membrane: Textile Roof And Facade
Year of construction: 2011
Architects: Ecosistemaurbano, José Luis Vallejo, Belinda Tato
Textile Engineering: Javier Tejera, José Javier Bataller, Marian Marco - Bat Spain
Main contractor: HM
Contractor for the membrane (Tensile membrane contractor): Bat Spain
Supplier of the membrane material: Ferrari
Manufacture and installation: Bat Spain
Covered surface (roofed area): 1500m 2
Figure 2. Textile as the interface between interior and exterior spaces
Figure 1. Aerial view of the Ecopolis Plaza
The textile envelope is made of two kind of PES/PVC meshes: Ferrari Soltis
86 and 92 in order to help view and solar control, and the final amount of
energy coming inside the building (Fig. 3). The zeroclastic surfaces drain
rainfall due to the mesh porosity, but needed to be designed with high
prestress loads in order to prevent damages due to snow and wind loads.
The building extends its limits into the plaza and part of its functional
processes are placed outside to make them more transparent to the public,
creating a more conscious way of wasting natural resources. The sewage
system ends into a lagoon in front of the building where all the waste water
from the building is naturally purified by macrophyte plants. All the purified
water is stored under the ground within a gravel tank and it is used for all the
irrigation needs of the plaza, this artificial landscape emulates a natural
riverbank.
Ecopolis Plaza is also a demonstrative experience of economy of means
applied to the field of sustainable construction, where efficiency usually
means higher construction cost. The Ecopolis project cost per square meter
is more than 35% less than a conventional building.
! Javier Tejera, José Javier Bataller, Marian Marco
: tejera@batspain.com
: www.batspain.com
! José Luis Vallejo, Belinda Tato
: www.ecosistemaurbano.com
Additional information:
http://inhabitat.com/
madrids-sustainableecopolis-plazais-a-versatile-publicspace/
Figure 3. Connection detail
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TENSINEWS NR. 21 – SEPTEMBER 2011 23
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INTERNATIONAL "TEXTILE STRUCTURE FOR NEW BUILDING 2011”
COMPETITION FOR STUDENTS AT TECHTEXTIL
The international student competition „Textile Structures for New
Building“ was held for the 11th time in 2011. As with the previous
competitions, a review of this year’s competition is certainly cause for
celebration. The large number of entries from many countries and the
high standard of work submitted confirm that the competition is
taking the correct approach. Held for the first time in 1993,
the competition aims to promote construction using textiles.
The objective is to awaken the interest and enthusiasm of students for
a method of construction which offers great potential for innovation
and a wealth of opportunities for enriching the world of architecture as
a whole. It is the students of today who will work with textiles and
design the textile buildings of the future. As tomorrow’s architects,
they will have a great influence on the appearance of our urban
landscape. It is therefore important to promote their work and to
give them the opportunity to work with new materials. The entries
submitted provide impressive evidence of the opportunities offered
by construction using textiles. A total of 12 projects received a prize.
Organizers: Techtextil, Messe Frankfurt and TensiNet Association
Jury: Nasrine Seraji (France -Chairwoman of the Jury),
Heidrun Bogner-Balz (Germany), Gert Eilbracht, (Austria),
Alex Heslop (U.K.), HG Merz (Germany) and
Werner Sobek (Germany)
The TensiNet Association sponsors this International Student
Competition.
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As in previous years, the jury awarded prizes in four categories:
Category 1: Macro Architecture 2 Awards
1 ste PRIZE: Plusminus Pneumatic Gridshell (Sebastian Kron, Nora
Haase-Aschoff, Mathias Hackmann, Philipp Kuner,
Julian Lutz, Fabian Pfeiffer)
2 nd PRIZE: Tensegrity Ring (Diana Maritza Peña Villamil)
Category 2: Micro Architecture 3 Awards
1 ste PRIZE: X-Change (Riva Fleur Vidal)
1 ste PRIZE: TS-1 textile selfsupporting (Andreas Moog)
1 ste PRIZE: Knitecture (Stefanie Powell)
Category 3: Sustainability and Surface 3 Awards
1 ste PRIZE: KnitSkin (Annelie Asam, Sally Alejos)
2 nd PRIZE: FLOW (Thorsten Klaus)
3 th PRIZE: Double Layered Membrane (Elena Vlasceanu)
Category 4: Composites and Hybrid Structures 2 Awards
2 nd PRIZE: Monotex (Viktoria Darenberg, Leonard Chmielewski)
2 nd PRIZE: Sound Adaptive Acoustic System
(Mohammad Mustafa Kadiri)
In addition, two further prizes were awarded which were not related to
any specific category.
Honorable Mention
Textile Wall (Lisa Spengler, Moa Hallgren)
Wandering Championships (Tomasz Kujawski)
Figure 1. Category 1: Macro Architecture
"Plusminus Pneumatic Gridshell" 1 ste Prize
Figure 2. Pavilion of Student Competition
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Sobek